Frequently Asked Questions about theLongy School of Music Faculty Union, AFT Massachusetts

1. Q. What can collective bargaining achieve for theFaculty at Longy School of Music?A.• create a legally binding, collegial relationship with the administration through collective bargaining;• provide an association in which faculty can openly and frankly voice their concerns and be heard;• negotiate job security based on job performance and nocourse reassignments, demotions, or dismissals without just cause;• improve our compensation and benefits;• negotiate a fair and transparent hiring process

The Longy School of Music Faculty Union will be affiliated with AFT Massachusetts, and nationally with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) representing 1.4 million teachers, paraprofessionals, higher education professors and support professionals, nurses, and public employees.

2. Q. How would we benefit from a union contract?A. With a union we have power in numbers, as well as help from professional union staff representatives and legal council. With a legally binding union contract, our compensation, benefits and working conditions will be determined by us and the administration through the process of collective bargaining.

3. Q. Will our wages and benefits be protected? A. Management will tell us that all wages and benefits will be lost because everything will have to be negotiated from zero. Negotiations will begin with the wages, benefits and working conditions that we currently have and seek improvements in areas presented by us to our elected negotiating committee. The faculty representatives negotiating the contract will not demand less.

4. Q. How long will it take to negotiate our contract?A.Negotiating our collective bargaining agreement can be done expeditiously if the administration and the elected Longy Faculty Union negotiating committee come together and work in a good faith effort to address the concerns of all. By approaching negotiations in this manner the costs of negotiations will be kept to a minimum.

5. Q. When we vote to have a union, will I have a right to request a faculty union representative be present if I believe the purpose of the meeting will be for discipline or dismissal?A. Yes. When we vote to have a union, we will have what is called Weingarten Rights. Weingarten Rights guarantee our right to union representation during meetings which involve discipline, demotion, dismissal or any other reason that could have an adverse affect on our employment status at Longy.

6. Q. Can our union contract protect us from class reassignments?A. Currently the administration makes all decisions in regards to class reassignments. If we choose, we can negotiate with management a fair procedure when or if class reassignments occur.

7. Q. The administration has been saying that “if you form a union you will no longer have input in curriculum”. Is this true?A. Not true. It has already been decided and agreed upon by the National Labor Relations Board, the administration and the union, that under your current teaching responsibilities, which includes input into curriculum, that you will be included in the union. There is nothing in the law or the stipulation that will change or stop the essential input that faculty currently contribute to curriculum at Longy.

8. Q. Will there be a limit to the number of students I can teach or changes to student assignment procedures? A. There is currently no limit to the number of students a faculty member can teach and there are student assignment procedures in place. If we, the faculty do not want limits on the number of students we can have or changes to the student assignment procedures, then there is no reason to negotiate changes in the current policies.

9. Q. Will collective bargaining threaten our collegial work environment?A. Not at all. Because collective bargaining brings democracy to the workplace, tensions between the faculty and management are reduced, making it possible for both to work together on common issues. Of major importance is the role collective bargaining plays in protecting our rights to have a voice in decisions. The collective bargaining agreement becomes a “constitution” for faculty in our relationship with the administration. It becomes the framework for defining working relationships, which will protect us from arbitrary changes by the administration. Management cannot unilaterally alter working conditions, because these agreements are enforceable under the law. As a result, collective bargaining enhances a collegial work environment.

10. Q.Would the union cost the school so much money that it would create a bad financial situation?A. It is not in our interest to financially damage the institution that employs us, pays our compensation, and serves our students. One of the key elements to negotiating a contract is to analyze the school’s budget for areas where management overestimates expenditures relative to actual expenditures across several years. In this way, we can identify available funds for salaries and benefits and we can fit our proposal to that analysis.

11. Q. Would a union just create another layer of bureaucracy between the faculty and administration?A. No. When we vote yes in the election, to join the American Federation of Teachers - Massachusetts, we as members of the Longy Faculty Union, will organize our own union governance structure. Members will elect their officers, and hold public meetings before an initial contract proposal is presented to the administration and the members will approve the final agreement.

12. Q. Will I have to go on strike? A. Sometime during this campaign, administration will tell us that the union will make us go on strike. First, all of us are the union. We decide this issue for ourselves. Second, our union is democratic. A strike could only happen if an overwhelming majority of members decide that it is the only course of action that would be effective if we have reached an impasse. It is not something we take lightly, though we should not weaken our bargaining position by immediately ruling it out. The decision would require overwhelming support.

13. Q. How are dues determined?A. What members pay for dues will be determined after we, the Longy Faculty Union, decide what the needs of our local union will be. For example, the Berklee Faculty Union determined that 1.25% of what faculty earn at Berklee will cover all the expenses and needs of the local union as well as maintain their affiliation with the American Federation of Teachers that provide essential support in negotiating and enforcing their collective bargaining agreement as well as maintaining a strong organization that advocates for their members. The improvements in job security, compensation, benefits and working conditions that have been achieved by the Berklee Faculty through collective bargaining far outweigh what its members pay in dues.

14. Q. Will membership be mandatory?A. Membership in AFT Massachusetts is voluntary. The law allows for non-members to be charged a fee to defray the costs of representation. This fee can only be triggered by an agreement between the Longy Faculty Union and the School providing for the collection of the fee upon ratification of the contract.

15. Q. Will those who will not be able to vote benefit from a Longy faculty union?A. There are many examples where employees not included in the bargaining unit have benefited from having a union at their place of employment. In our case, a faculty union can have a positive effect on raising standards for all in regards to compensation and benefits.

16. Q. I am afraid the administration will retaliate against me if they find out that I am interested in the union. Would I be protected?A. Retaliation is an unfair labor practice and it is against the law. It is an attempt to scare employees in regard to union support. The union will take legal action to protect faculty who experience retaliation or intimidation. It is your right to find out for yourself about the pros and cons of the union, to talk outside of class with colleagues, to meet away from the school to discuss or support the union, to go to union meetings, and to vote in the election.

17. Q. Is the election ballot really secret? A. Yes, it is. It is conducted by agents of the National Labor Relations Board. All voting will be done by secret ballot.

18. Q.How many votes does it take to become a collective bargaining unit (Union)? A. A simple majority of eligible faculty that participate and vote YES on the day of the election.